Rome, Feb. 8: Hindus and Jews have appealed to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to visit a savagely burnt Indian immigrant in a Rome hospital and send out a strong message against xenophobia.

Prominent Hindu American leader Rajan Zed and Jweish community leader Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich in a statement in Nevada, also asked the Italian Government to provide adequate compensation to Navtej Singh Sidhu who was brutally beaten, insulted and set on fire with petrol while asleep in Nettuno, south of Rome.

Both claimed that a visit by Berlusconi would show the Italian Government's sense of solidarity with marginalized groups like immigrants, minorities, and Roma, who reportedly continually faced human rights violations in Italy.

The two religious leaders pointed out that Italy needed to do deep introspection of her heart and be kind to immigrants, minorities, and Roma people as xenophobic tendencies were not in tune with this great country of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Tintoretto, Verdi, Fellini, and longstanding history and traditions of tolerance.

Rajan Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged the Italian Government to improve its human rights record and come up with a more compassionate immigration policy.

The reportedly continual social discrimination and victimization of Roma should also be dealt with emergently and they should be treated humanely. Culture of exclusion, intolerance and rejection should come to a halt. (ANI)